The Decline of Pharmaceutical Innovation in Europe

The first keynote speaker Georgette Lalis, Head of DG Enterprise and Industry for the European Commission, began her presentation "The Decline of Pharmaceutical Innovation in Europe" by acknowledging, "Innovation is the life blood of the pharmaceutical industry." She added that regulators must be equally innovative and play a key role in the growth of R&D development in Europe, noting that Europe is facing massive health threats and has a health system that is under distress.

Lalis suggested that Europe needs to inject a new impetus and not increase barriers-this will help develop a firm foundation for innovation. And although a great deal has been achieved (such as successful orphan regulation, an increase in the number of new medicines and pediatric medications, and developing legislation for tissue engineering and cell therapy), what has been done so far is still not enough. Lalis added that the Commission will propose a series of measures to remove bureaucratic hurdles and that there needs to be a refocus on non-legislative areas, such as improving information to patients, assessing cost effectiveness of drugs, and looking for alternative approaches to pricing. "Innovation is not new to Europe," she concluded.